The mind engrossed in its own nature forgets the Eternal Spirit and must return again to this world, never attaining spiritual felicity.

(Here is a review of "The Yoga Vasishta" - Narrative rendition in ten audio CDs by Shri.Arun Madhavanji assisted by Kum.Atika Dandia.)

Yoga Vasishta is the pioneering Vedantic wisdom on the nature of existence and reality and veritably the forerunner of the Bhagavad Gita in its convergence of the paths of jnana and karma. This precious knowledge was imparted to Prince Rama at a moment of confusion and crisis when the young prince was beginning to feel a surge of vairagya at a tender age. While extolling the vairagya state, Vasishta initiates Rama into the deeper aspects of existence especially the nature of the mind. He makes a metaphorical comparison of peace, discrimination, contentment and company of sages, to the four sentinels guarding the gate of moksha. Vasishta advises Rama that the world of phenomena is nothing but a jugglery of the Mind. It can be discerned only through self-introspection.

The mind engrossed in its own nature forgets the Eternal Spirit and must return again to this world, never attaining spiritual felicity. As a sadhak, one needs to cultivate the aforementioned four traits to prevent the mind from getting distracted

In one of his many anecdotes, Sage Vasishta narrates how Sukracharya in meditation got distracted by a celestial nymph, and slipped into a reverie that led him to attachments, a series of births, till he was rescued from the twilight state and shown his true nature as the meditating Sukra. Through an elaborate understanding of the mind as the seat of illusion, Sage Vasishta exhorts Rama to adopt the path of karma, dissuading him from renunciation.

Equally, an honest man dwells amongst thieves only so long as he does not know them as such. No sooner does he come to know them than he is sure to shun their company and flee from the spot. So too the mind dwells amongst unreal dualities as long as it is ignorant of the transcendent One. But when it becomes aware of True Unity, it is sure to be united with it.

Some of the most profound moments are when we listen to these words of Vasishta:

“O Rama, maya is such that it brings delight through its own destruction; its nature is inscrutable; it ceases to exist even while it is being observed.

Just as a tree consisting of fruits, leaves, creepers, flowers, branches, twigs and roots, exists in the seed of the tree, even so this manifest world exists in Brahman.

Just as the dream becomes unreal in the waking state and the waking state in the dream, so also death becomes unreal in birth and birth in death.

It is little surprise that this pioneering wisdom has already inspired series of Holywood blockbusters in the past decade. For years now we have been keen to grasp teachings but could not progress beyond a few pages of the book. Now we have the ten CD audio pack from the VVKI Publications offering the listener a whole new experience that is soothing and meditative even as higher spiritual knowledge is narrated. We have commenced weekend sessions for each CD to help more satsangees deliberate on the knowledge.

Lata Pani